West Des Moines Family Law & Divorce Attorney

Des Moines Annulment Attorney

Let Our Legal Team Guide Your Through the Steps

While divorce is the most common way to end a marriage, the other option
is to go through an annulment. If you meet the requirements for an annulment,
then it is imperative to seek legal assistance from a qualified lawyer. At
The Law Offices of Mark R. Hinshaw, we possess the pervasive knowledge of Iowa family laws and experience
to help you devise an aggressive and personalized strategy, in order to
obtain the results you want.

What is the Difference between Divorce and Annulment?

Divorce means the end of a valid marriage, establishing that a marriage at one
point existed. An annulment means that the marriage wasn’t valid
in the first place. Therefore, the marriage never existed on record.

The following are the grounds for annulment in Iowa:

You and your spouse are related by blood (first cousins or closer)

You or your spouse are currently involved in a marriage

You and your spouse were underage

You or your spouse was lawfully incompetent and under the guardianship
of another person

Either spouse was impotent

In Iowa, some of these annulment grounds are associated with certain conditions.
If an individual was involved in a previous marriage when the parties
were married and that person’s previous spouse passed away, and
the current spouses share the same household after death, then annulment
is not an option. In regards to a spouse who was under 18 at the time
of the marriage and lied about it to their spouse, unless the underage
spouse seeks annulment and proves their real age prior to their 18th birthday, then the marriage won’t be annulled.

If you are eligible for annulment, you must file a “Petition for
Annulment” in the district court for the county where either you
or your spouse currently reside. Once the petition is complete, you will
have a hearing before a judge to determine whether your marriage should
be annulled.

Dedicated to Helping You Today

Our
Des Moines family law attorneys understand what you’re facing. In order to make the annulment process
as smooth as possible, enlist our legal assistance so you can immediately
begin the next chapter of your life.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.